It won't help a bit, Alan. For a high decentralized organization like al-Qaeda to lose a divisional leader like al-Zarqawi is nothing. Never mind the fact that the Iraqi insurgency is actually run by a huge number of factions that al-Qaeda is really only in an influential role more than a controlling one.

As long as coalition troops continue to carry out retaliatory massacres against Iraqi civilians, the martyrs will continue to grow.

It no easier to win the hearts and minds of an occupied populace than it was 35 years ago. Especially when your troops still use the same tactics.

Man, I hate the irrationality of international currency markets just before planned summer weekend hops over the border:<blockquote class="smalltext">“The U.S. dollar is having one of its best days in months as positive geopolitical news and lower energy prices are driving it higher,” said Andy Busch, global foreign-exchange strategist at BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. in Chicago, in a note.</blockquote>

The currency markets are highly rational -- some people (organizations, actually) are buying dollars in the anticipation that they will be able to use them later when it is worth more; other people are selling dollars because it's reached the price where it's worth it for them to unload. Interestingly enough, the number of dollars being sold is exactly the same as the number of dollars being bought.

Highly rational my ass. Did that lodge statement in the throat in grade 12 economics? Pure irrational exuberence, the life blood of the market. But interestingly enough, the vast majority of currency being traded is money which is as good as cash.

Having worked quite a bit in currency trading (on the analytics side) for the last decade, you will find few human endevours that are more rational. Or rather, every single decision that is made is highly rational; it's your aggregate view of all those transactions that looks irrational but, as much as we like to talk about Mr. Market, he's just an illusion -- what's really happening is the transactions, the rest is a convenient fiction.

I like my friends, too, but I can tell when they and the rest of the crowd are moved by fear and greed.

al, baby, now now now. where'd you learn that tone?

You are right. I hate when David is right and uses that cool rational approach on me. It leaves me nothing but rudeness as my guide. I was trumped before I posted and didn't even know it. But it is still true that I like my friends but I can tell when they and the rest of the crowd are moved by fear and greed. It's a little something I picked up during my days as a trapper in Patagonia after the war.

ahhh patasgonia. now, those were good days.

I thought you wrote pastagonia.

pastagonia was amazing too.

remember those fat bottomed girls, the ones with the tatoos? we shoulda married the lot of them.

Our downfall. Our utter downfall. We could be in the Andes now, knee deep in culpeos fox skin profits and Spanish speaking kids. I just wish we had not left the accordions.

that chick with the eye patch was fine.